Brady Bears @ Home

~~new for February on TDIPT mercantile~~

2012-01-31T17:44:00.001-08:00

It's been super busy here in the studio lately...lots of new things going on. :))) I've got several new pieces available for this months update.

First up are 2 new paper clay pieces, Patriotic Panda and Americana Kitty. They are made from a combination of old and new wooden blocks. I've made the heads entirely from paper clay. They are hand sculpted, no molds were used. They were then painted and distressed. I love the way they turned out.

If you would like to purchase any of the items listed here, just pop over to the To Dwell in Primitive Thymes website....

Shabby Chic and very Romantic cottage cupboard hanger. Made from custom dyed mohair with old shoe buttons for eyes. This piece will fit any where and will always brighten your day.

Mr. Winter...a darling mohair snowman. He measures 15" tall and will melt your heart. You can find Mr. Winter and all of the other lovelys picture above for sale now on the TDIPT Mercantile...

~~ Very Prim Valentine Panda on eBay ~~

2012-01-23T10:51:00.001-08:00

I have a really Primitive 20" Pandas on eBay now. This one is named "Valentino" and he is red & cream in color. He has lots of staining and mending stitches/patches. He would be perfect not just for Valentine's Day, but Christmas and any Patriotic holiday as well.

Valentino is listed in a 5 day auction which will end on Sat Jan 28th. He also has a Buy it Now option.

Thanks for stopping by....Karen :)

~ new Snowman on eBay...new Pattern! ~

2011-12-11T08:00:00.001-08:00

If you have the time, stop by ebay and take a peek at my new Snowman! He turned out so prim, antique, fun and whimsical. I just love him! He is 5 way jointed and made from mohair. I love to decorate after Christmas with Winter themed items, and Snow folk are perfect. I set up a cute display of different snowmen on my mantle, after the Christmas decorations are packed away. It keeps things bright and cheerful during the cold winter months.

Mr Snowball is listed in a 3 day auction which will end on Wed, Dec 14th. He also has a Buy it Now option.

~~ A new Prim antique style Bear on eBay ~~

2011-12-07T12:00:00.001-08:00

I have a new Primitive antique style bear listed on eBay now. His name is Thomas. He turned out so cute. He has a very slumpy tummy, just like an old bear should. I have him listed in a 3 day auction which will end this Sat Dec 10th. It's almost the 10th, Yikes! Better get to Christmas shopping. You might want to put Thomas under your Christmas tree this year, so stop by and take a peek. :)

There's a lot going on...Come check it out!

2011-11-16T11:05:00.001-08:00

OK, there's a LOT of stuff going on, but it's cool, fun stuff! I have a new large size bear listed on eBay right now. It's been a super duper long time since I made a bear for eBay that was over 9" tall. This guy is my 15" size pattern that I dearly love. He came out so old and antique looking. Which lead to my experimenting with some different types of vintage style photography. So now I am totally hooked on this! I love taking photos anyway, and this technique just adds the excitement. I know lots of people have been working this way for a while, but I am slowing catching up.

Hope you enjoy the photos, and remember to visit Benjamin Bear on eBay. He's there for 5 days. His auction will close next Monday, Nov 21st.

The next fun thing I will be doing today or tomorrow is having a blog give-away!!! I will have all of the details soon, but the give-away will be for a couple of copies of a hip, new magazine! Be sure to stop back by, get the details and sign up to WIN!

2 new Whimsical and Fun Pandas on eBay

2011-10-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have 2 new really fun and Whimsical pandas listed now on eBay. They measure 7" and 9" tall. I custom dyed the old blue and tan colors.

Each bear is listed in a 5 day auction which will end Tuesday, Nov 1st.

If you have the time stop by for a peek.

2 NEW pandas listed on eBay now

2011-10-22T09:34:00.001-07:00

I just listed this cute pair of pandas on eBay. The colors are so fun & whimsical. Mr Jangles is a 9" bear and BoBo is a 7" bear. They both will fit right in the palm of my hand, so cute! They are both listed in a 3 day auction which will end on Tuesday, Oct 25th. Mr Jangles does have a Buy it Now option.

If you have the time, stop by to visit them. :)

~ New Pieces on the TDIPT Mercantile ~

2011-09-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have several new pieces listed on the mercantile this evening. I have some really fun and whimsical Halloween Cupboard Hangers and a darling new little bear named, "Miss Lucy".

Stop by and take a peek. Just click on the TDIPT mercantile bar on the left hand side of the page.

Thanks for looking! :)

New Halloween Panda bear and dog on eBay

2011-09-17T13:48:00.001-07:00

I have 2 new Halloween pieces listed on eBay right now.

My first piece is my Corgi Beagle mix. She is named "Sorceress Pumpkin". Who is Sorceress Pumpkin you might ask? Well, she reigns over all of the Halloween pumpkins in Halloween world. She decides if a pumpkin is too big or too small, whether or not it will be carved for the Witches Halloween ball, or given to the mice to eat. It's a tough job to pick just the right Jack O'lantern, but Sorceress Pumpkin has perfected her job quite well.

Sorceress Pumpkin is listed in a 5 day auction which end Wed, Sept 21st.

Next I have a Halloween Panda bear, named "Merlin the Marvelous". I just love Merlin the Marvelous! Merlin of course is a Wizard and comes from a family full of Wizards and Witches. Each Wizard and Witch has a special job they train for, and Merlin's job is to make sure the moon and stars are shinning bright on Halloween night. He spends all year long polishing the stars to shine like jewels and the moon to sparkle like a diamond.

Merlin is listed in a 3 day auction with a Buy it Now option. His auction will end on Tuesday, Sept 20th.

Ritz the Magnificent Halloween dog

2011-09-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

I have a new Halloween Wizard doggie listed on eBay now...His name is "Ritz the Magnificent".

I just love the way Ritz the Magnificent turned out! Every Halloween, Ritz and his friends have a contest to see who can perform the most Magnificent magic tricks. They turn pumpkins into mice, toads into candy and witches brooms into fancy wizard hats. What fun!

Ritz is listed in a 3 day auction which will end on Friday, Sept 16th.

New little Halloween Witch bunny on eBay

2011-09-11T18:05:00.001-07:00

I have a new little Halloween bunny rabbit listed on ebay named "Tabitha". What a sweet little Halloween witch she is! Little bunny witches are a rare sight indeed....most bunnies only want to work at Easter time, but not Tabitha. Tabitha LOVES Halloween! She decided right away that making potions, casting spells and chasing frogs was just for her.

You can find Tabitha listed on eBay in a 5 day auction which will end on Friday, Sept 16th.

Thanks for stopping by... :)

New little Halloween Witch bear on eBay

2011-09-07T08:18:00.001-07:00

I have a new little Halloween bear listed on ebay right now. Her name is Hilda and she is a little witch bear. She measures 9"tall and is made from mohair that I custom dyed. She is the perfect little bear for Halloween and fits in perfectly with antiques and collectibles. :)

Hilda is listed in a 5 day auction which will end on Sunday, Sept 11th.

Here is Hilda with her wizard friend Stanley(Stanley has been adopted) and the head of all the witches, Zoraida the Enchanted(Zoraida is still available for adoption just go to my TDIPT mercantile page.)

~~New Pieces are Every Where tonight! ~~

2011-08-31T11:00:00.001-07:00

I have lots of new pieces listed tonight on ebay and on the TDIPT mercantile. Both buttons are located to the right. Just click on one to see new bears.

On Ebay is a little wizard bear named, Stanley and my Old Toy Store Display. Both are listed in a 5 day auction.

On the TDIPT Mercantile is an 18" bear named Zoriada the Enchanted and my Old Halloween Store Display.

~~ New Skunk and Elly patterns ~~

2011-08-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

I have 2 new patterns to share....first is my new little Elly pattern. I haven't made an Elly in a REALLY long time and this is a new size. This little girl, named "Ophilia Elly", is 9.5" tall. She fits right in the palm of my hand. I love the pale pink and taupe, Shabby Cottage Chic, colors. Wouldn't she be great on an old chippy shelf?

She is on Ebay right now in a 5 day auction, with a Buy it Now option.

Next is my new skunk pattern...isn't he just the cutest? His name is "Orange Blossom", and he measures a wee 10" tall. Orange Blossom has already been mailed off to his new woodland home, but I still wanted to share.

As always, thanks for visiting! :)

~~New Americana bear on Ebay~~

2011-06-20T13:25:00.001-07:00

I just finished this sweet little patriotic girl bear. I love making Americana pieces! Since the 4th of July is right around the corner, I thought this sweet girl was perfect. I custom dyed the mohair a nice old red color, and made her outfit from vintage style fabric with antique trims. I've named her "Lucy" and she is listed in a 3 day auction.

Thanks for looking! :0)

my PRIMS magazine Bear for Sale on Ebay

2011-05-03T04:56:00.001-07:00

Just in time for Mother's Day, I've decided to sale my Springtime Clown bear that is featured in the latest issue of PRIMS magazine. His name is "Duncan". He's a fun little 15" size bear. Duncan is made from European mohair, and distressed to look antique. He has such a cute face.
Here is your chance to own one of my bears featured in a National publication.

Duncan is in a 5 day auction that will end this Sat evening, May 7th.

Thanks for looking! :)

New Americana Red Cross bear on Ebay

2011-04-08T07:34:00.001-07:00

I have a new little bear from my baby size pattern listed on Ebay. Her name is Americana Susie. She started working for the Red Cross right before WWII. Now she is looking for a new home. She loves to travel, and help others! She is so little she can sit right in the palm of your hand.

Susie's auction will end on Tuesday, April 12th.

I also have little pink baby Giraffe listed on Ebay. Her auction ends tomorrow, Friday, April 8th.

To see these little cuties, just click on my EBAY button on the left hand side bar.

Thanks for looking!
<3

~~New Pink baby Giraffe on Ebay~~

2011-04-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

I have a new pattern for my current listing Ebay. It's a sweet little Pink Giraffe. She is named "CupCake" and measures a wee 9.5" tall. She is designed from my larger 15" pattern. She is also my first pink Giraffe. I think she turned out so adorable. CupCake only has a little over 3 days left on Ebay. Her auction will end on Saturday evening, April 9th.

As always, thanks for looking!
Karen :)

Here is CupCake with one of my 18" bears

~~New for April on TDIPT mercantile~~

2011-04-01T08:30:00.001-07:00

I have just updated my page for April on the To Dwell in Primitive Thymes Mercantile.

First I have a darling new Shelf Sitter. I've named this one "Garden Romance". She is perfect to decorate with for Spring or Summer. She would fit right in with your Shabby Chic decor, sitting on a chippy old shelf, in your romantic bedroom decor or maybe on your mantle.

Just click on my "TDIPT" button on the right side bar to go straight to my mercantile page.

Next have this fun and very Whimsical trio of Panda cupboard hangers. They are all done in an Americana style, perfect for Summer. Each one is slightly different, and they are so cute displayed together.

Thanks for looking!

Don't Miss my Bears & Buns on Ebay!

2011-03-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

I have a few critters listed on Ebay right now. The baby Panda, and the spotted Bun both close in just 6 hours. The cute Springtime Gold bear still has 3 days left. If you would like to see any of these pieces, just click my Ebay button, located on the left hand side.

I will also be listing this week, a Springtime bunny & a black and white panda, from my NEW baby size pattern. Both of these pieces are for the TDIPT Group Launch starting TONIGHT on Ebay.

~~new Little Baby Panda Bear Pattern~~

2011-03-22T15:02:00.003-07:00

I have a new bear pattern I just finished up today and listed on Ebay. He's a wee little guy, only measuring 9"tall, which is really small for me. I love the way he turned out. He fits right in the palm of my hand. I dyed the mohair a nice old mahogany color, and add a cute springtime collar and hat. Now he's just waiting, hoping someone will pick him to go live in a new house, with lots of other bears and animals.

I also have my Spotted Hare for sale on Ebay. Poor little bun didn't find a home at the Blooming Bears Show, but he hasn't lost hope. Spring is here and he knows he'll find a new place to live.

Thanks for looking!

New Circus Elly listed on Ebay

2011-03-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

I have a new Fun & Whimsical Elly listed on Ebay right now. He is in a 5 day auction which will end on Thursday evening, March 17th.

Please stop by and see him.

New for March on TDIPT Mercantile.

2011-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating our 4th Birthday on the Mercantile this month!!! WHAHOOOO!
I have a new bunny, BlueBerry, for sale just for the celebration. He is made from a European mohair, that I custom dyed a nice old Springtime blue. He measures 11" tall not including his ears, which are another 8" long. He is stuffed with excelsior and gravel. He has old shoe buttons for eyes. I have have distressed him for an antique feel.

We are also having a give-away on the mercantile to celebrate our 4th Birthday....several of our VERY Talented artists have donated handmades to be given away this month.....stop by the mercantile blog to learn more http://todwellinprimitivethymes.blogspot.com/

If you would like to see more about BlueBerry just click on the "My Offerings TDIPT" button on the right.

Thanks for Looking!!!

(((BlueBerry Bunny has been adopted, Thank you!)))

Early Spring cleaning Blog Sale.....

2011-02-23T17:24:00.000-08:00

Is there something you've been looking at for a while, but just couldn't make up your mind to buy it? Well, now's the time....I'm having my first every Blog Sale....I have a few items that haven't found homes, and I need to clean out my studio for all of the Spring pieces that I've been working on...so scroll down to see what's on sale...see something you like? Just send me an email :)

2011-02-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

Victorian Valentine Bear shelf sitter....WAS $84.00 NOW $69.00

2011-02-23T17:21:00.000-08:00

Snowman Shelf Sitter...was $78.00 NOW $62

2011-02-23T17:19:00.000-08:00

This mixed media piece measures 8x10. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. The bear is cut from heavy canvas then glued on. Her dress is cut from a vintage style fabric. The entire piece has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Happy Times" WAS $55 NOW $40 plus $8 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

If you would like to purchase please just send an email.

2011-02-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

This mixed media piece measures 8x10. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. The bear is cut from heavy canvas then glued on. The little girl is a copy from my paper doll collection. It has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Play Time" WAS $48 NOW $32 plus $8 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

If you would like to purchase please just send an email.

2011-02-23T17:16:00.000-08:00

This mixed media piece measures 11x14. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. It has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Days of Fun" WAS $68 NOW $40 plus $10 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

New Pink Spring Bunny on Ebay Now..

2011-02-18T10:34:00.000-08:00

Please meet Rosebud, a new little bun for Spring! This is a new pattern and I love the way she turned out. I custom dyed the mohair a nice old pink. She measures 11" tall, not including her ears, which are another 8" long. She has old shoe button eyes. The mohair is heavily distressed for an antique look.

Rosebud is available in a 5 day auction, which ends Tuesday Feb 22nd. Just click on the ebay button to the right to see her auction.

Rosebud has been adopted, Thank You!!!

New for February on TDIPT Mercantile

2011-02-01T04:32:00.000-08:00

I have 3 new pieces on the To Dwell in Primitive Thymes(TDIPT) mercantile this month. All 3 are my shelf sitters. They turned out really cute. There are 2 Victorian Valentine bears and a darling Snowman. To get all the details about each one, just visit my page on TDIPT. The button is located in the left side bar.

Thanks for visiting!

2011-02-01T04:31:00.002-08:00

2011-02-01T04:31:00.001-08:00

2011-02-01T04:30:00.001-08:00

New pink & blue Valentine winter bear

2011-01-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

I have a new Valentine winter bear for sale. I love this bear. It's so whimsical and fun. Perfect to brighten your winter days. I've named him "Love Bear"

"Love Bear" is made from mohair that I have custom dyed a nice old pink and blue. He measures 15". He has old shoe button eyes. His paws and ears are lined with cotton canvas. He is 5 way jointed, and stuffed with excelsior and gravel. "Love Bear" has been distressed for an antique look. His scarf and hat are made from an old sweater that I stained and aged. I stamped a tag for him that says "Love", added a heart, and attached it with an old safety pin. He also holds a vintage style Valentine made from printed fabric that I glued to heavy cardboard.

"Love Bear" is a one of a kind piece. He will come with my personal tags, signed by me, Karen Brady of Brady Bears Studio.

Love Panda has been adopted, Thanks!

Thanks for looking! :0)

new Winter time Red Panda

2011-01-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

I have a new Red Panda for sale. I love making these guys. They have so much character. I've named this new guy "Snowball" because he is all decked out for winter and he LOVES the snow!

"Snowball" is made from mohair that I have hand shaded with dyes. There is a LOT of detail to this guy. He measures 15", tall not including his ears. His tail has been wired for posing. He has shoe button eyes. His paws and ears are lined with cotton canvas. He is 5 way jointed, and stuffed with excelsior and gravel. "Snowball" has been distressed for an antique look. His scarf is made from an old sweater that I stained and aged. I stamped a tag for him that says "SNOW" and attached it with an old safety pin.

"Snowball" is a one of a kind piece. He will come with my personal tags, signed by me, Karen Brady of Brady Bears Studio.

Snowball has been adopted, Thank you!

Thanks for looking! :0)

"Happy Times" mixed media piece

2011-01-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

I have 3 very bright and cheerful mixed media pieces for sale. They are perfect to brighten up your home, and make it feel more like Spring. I will offer these pieces for sale for a few days, then they will be listed on etsy.

This mixed media piece measures 8x10. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. The bear is cut from heavy canvas then glued on. Her dress is cut from a vintage style fabric. The entire piece has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Happy Times" is $55 plus $8 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

If you would like to purchase please just send an email.

Thanks! :0)

"Play Time" new mixed piece

2011-01-24T13:18:00.000-08:00

This mixed media piece measures 8x10. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. The bear is cut from heavy canvas then glued on. The little girl is a copy from my paper doll collection. It has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Play Time" is $48 plus $8 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

If you would like to purchase please just send an email.

Thanks! :0)

"Days of Fun" mixed media piece

2011-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

This mixed media piece measures 11x14. It is on canvas. The edges have been painted so it is ready to hang, no frame is necessary. I have painted and used scrapbooking elements to create this piece. It has been lightly sprayed with an acrylic sealer to help protect it.

The price for "Days of Fun" is $68 plus $10 priority mail shipping with insurance in the U.S. I do ship worldwide, please just email me for costs.

If you would like to purchase please just send an email.

Thanks! :0)

My new Selling blog....

2011-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my new selling blog. I originally set this blog up just to talk about my family and hobbies, but I seem to always post everything on my Brady Bears Studio blog. I decided to make this blog a fun place to offer my bears, and other pieces of art, for sell. I will still be posting on my other blog about when and where bears are available and fun tidbits about my life, but I will now use this one strictly for selling my creations. I will be making changes to the way the blog looks over the next few days so please stop by to see the changes. :0)

a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

2009-12-16T13:13:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season filled with fun and happiness. I took a bunch of Christmas pictures around my house. I hope you enjoy them.....

2009-12-16T13:12:00.000-08:00

2009-12-16T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is the mantle in my living room. I decorate it for every holiday and season. It's so much fun and it keeps things festive all year. This year I decided to use 2 bears from one of my favorite artists, Sheryl Wells of Simple Blessings Bears. I put a toy store display that I created in the middle, then filled in with old dolls, vintage style Santa's and bottle brush trees. The 2 "stockings" are from an old estate and probable date from the early 1900's.

2009-12-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

2009-12-16T13:02:00.000-08:00

This sideboard belonged to my great grandmother. I always loved it as a kid. I love using it for displays. I decided to put my vintage Putz houses on it this year. My Putz houses always remind me of my grandmother. She would set up a big scene every Christmas on her dining room side board. She had houses, people, santa, reindeer and trees. I loved looking at all the houses and I would imagine living there. What fun!

2009-12-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

2009-12-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

2009-12-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

The white primitive cabinet was a gift from a husband one year. I just love it! He bought it in this really neat little town called "Bell Buckle" that is about an hour south of Nashville. The white shelf on top my dad me when I was a kid. I used to have it hanging on my wall with all of my treasures in it. Now I use it display my bears. The old primitive ladder makes a fun display for bears and other vintage items.

The desk and chair belonged to my maternal grandmother who passed away a couple of years ago. I love the little trunk on top, it's perfect to display my dolls and bears. The little metal head doll in the trunk belonged to my paternal grandmother.

2009-12-16T12:54:00.001-08:00

2009-12-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

This is a display I have hanging across my curtains in the living room. I took some jute and then I hung different Christmas "art" pieces that I have. The reindeer were made by my 7 and 2 year olds this year. They traced their feet and hands to make a reindeer. The plate with Santa was made by my dad when he was a kid. There's a picture of me at Christmas when I was about 7years old. I have several other pieces that I did not show made by my kids.

The Fantasy of Trees

2009-12-08T07:55:00.001-08:00

Christmas is offically here...well, I guess it's been here since right after Thanksgiving, but I'm a little behind. I do have most of my shopping done, but I'm behind on everything else!

Every year the East Tennesse Children's Hospital sponsers the Fantasy of Trees in Knoxville to help raise money. It's lots of fun and the kids love it. There are lots of Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, crafts, a few rides and photos with Santa. We go every year to start off the Christmas season. I hope you enjoy the pictures :)

2009-12-08T07:54:00.002-08:00

2009-12-08T07:54:00.001-08:00

2009-12-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

2009-12-08T07:52:00.004-08:00

2009-12-08T07:52:00.003-08:00

2009-12-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

Fall in the Mountains

2009-11-11T11:22:00.000-08:00

We decided to take a fall drive the day after Halloween, Nov 1st, to look at the beautiful leaves. I love fall and it was a beautiful crisp day. We had such a wonderful time. My kids even enjoyed being out and seeing new sights. We decided to head over to Asheville, NC, one of our favorite places to visit. We took a new route this time. We started in Knoxville, Tn and headed up to Newport, Tn then to Hot Springs, North Carolina and over to Asheville from there. It was such a nice drive and Hot Springs was a quaint, inviting little town. Then, of course, we ended up at Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. We love going there and always see something new inside and outside the house. It was a fabulous day that everyone really enjoyed!

2009-11-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is a gorgeous Antebellum house that we just happened to pass on our drive. I had to turn around and take some pictures. Boy I would love to see the inside!

2009-11-11T11:19:00.002-08:00

This is a shot of Hot Springs, NC's quaint little downtown.

2009-11-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

2009-11-11T11:18:00.002-08:00

2009-11-11T11:18:00.001-08:00

2009-11-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

This is Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. It was built by George Vanderbilt in 1895 and is an magnificent home.

2009-11-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

2009-11-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

2009-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's been way too long since my last post here...I'm going to try and do a better job keeping up with my blogging :) I decided to post a few pics from last Halloween, with the exception of the photo of our kitty.

It's really raining here right now and I hope that it slacks off by this evening for Trick or Treating. My kids my been excited about going for weeks and I would hate for it be rained out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!! I hope every one has a great Halloween and gets lots and lots of candy!

We're planning on going to the mountains tomorrow to look at the leaves. Hopefully I will have lots of beautiful fall photos to post.

2009-10-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

2009-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

2009-10-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

Biltmore in Ashville, NC

2009-09-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

We went to Bilmore and couple of weekends ago. It's one of our favorite places to visit. You'll probably see me post lots of pics from there. These photos are from a new area they added a couple of years ago. It is located beside the winery. It has a petting zoo, a wonderful garden area with vegetables and herbs and a demonstration/shopping area. The kids love to go here. They tire pretty quick of the house and really look forward to seeing the animals. I'm really glad they added this new section because the kids just love it.

I also took lots of pics up at the house and the patio garden. They are on my BradyBearsStudio blog, if you would like to see those.

2009-09-08T08:56:00.002-07:00

2009-09-08T08:56:00.001-07:00

2009-09-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

2009-09-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

2009-09-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

2009-09-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Our New Kitty!!!

2009-08-17T14:30:00.002-07:00

We have a new addition to our family. This new kitten, which we have not yet named, decided last week to adopt us. We started out last week on one of our usual family walks around the neighborhood. We got to the end of our street and I heard a kitten crying. I said "oh, somebody has a new kitty" (didn't realize it was going to be me LOL) Up pops this kitten, she zeroed in on us and of course my girls zeroed in on her. She came be-bop-in over and we all took a turn petting her. After a while we said "time to finish our walk". Well, kitten decided to walk with us. So we took her back to the yard she came from. She just turned around and came after us. She followed us back home, up the driveway and past our barking dogs. We took her back twice to the neighbor, but no one ever answered the door. We posted signs and a message on our neighborhood website. No one ever claimed this sweet little girl. I took her to the vet today. She's 3 months old. She's a real doll and her motor runs all the time. So now we have 2 dogs, 2 cats, a 5 year old goldfish and 3 hermit crabs, whew........ :)

2009-08-17T14:30:00.001-07:00

2009-08-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

2009-08-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Everything for the Garden...

2009-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is a really cool catalog I have that dates from 1938. I came across it last night when I was cleaning out some cabinets. I totally forgot I had it. I love the photos in it. I wish I could order some of this stuff, but then it wouldn't do well in my very shady yard. I selected a few of the vegetable photos to post. The catalog has a total of 144 pages and it's in excellent condition. I have more photos posted on my Brady Bears Studio blog. I posted all of the flower photos there.

2009-08-04T10:49:00.002-07:00

2009-08-04T10:49:00.001-07:00

2009-08-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Highlights from my garden...

2009-08-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

I planted a small garden this year. My yard gets very little sun, but I had one small spot I decided to plant. I put out pumpkins, which have taken over :), tomatoes, peppers, basil, zinnias and sunflowers. My tomatoes have not done very well, they keep rotting. I think we've just gotten to much rain, which is very unusually for us this time of they year. My Zinnias are doing well but I only ended up with a few Sunflowers. I think most of the seeds washed away with all of the rain. Anyway here are some highlights of what came up and some flowers around my yard.

2009-08-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

a Vase of Flowers...

2009-08-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

here are some photos after I picked some of my flowers. They are scattered around my yard. When they are gathered togher in a vase they make a brilliant statement.

2009-08-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

My San Francisco Trip....

2009-08-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

My friends and I just got back the first part of June from a fabulous girls trip to San Francisco. We went to celebrate our 40th birthdays. We've all been friends since middle and high school. We got to stay for 4 1/2 days and it was amazing. San Francisco is totally different from any place in the US that I have visited. There are people from every place in the world. You don't need a car to get around the city. We took buses, trollies and cabs everywhere. We visited Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park, Japantown, Chinatown, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Somona Wine Country, Muir Woods, Salsilito, and Cliff House. I loved the hustle and bustle of everything, and the fact that everyone there was totally different. I loved just walking around the city watching people and looking at the buildings. I could go back and spend another week visiting sites we didn't have time to see.

below are some photo highlights of our trip and a little a bit of history.

~~The Golden Gate Bridge~*~

2009-07-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few of the photos I took at the Golden Gate Bridge. It's an absolutely amazing structure. It would have been really cool to have taken a boat out to the bridge or flown over it. Maybe next trip!

This is some history of the bridge:
Golden Gate Bridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay onto the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, it connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge span in the world when it was completed during the year 1937, and has become an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco and California. Since its completion, the span length has been surpassed by eight other bridges. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. In 2007, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

2009-07-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

2009-07-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

2009-07-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

These are some random shots from around San Francisco. The buildings are so cool and everything is so compact. It's really easy to travel around the city by foot or mass transit. We took a lot of taxi's and buses. I had so much fun just looking around and taking pictures of buildings.

The Painted Ladies

2009-06-30T11:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are at one of the most photographed sites in San Francisco. These are known as the "Painted Ladies" or the "Six Sisters" because they are perfectly lined in escalating formation. Across the street is Alamo square.

2009-06-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

2009-06-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

2009-06-30T10:52:00.000-07:00

Across the street from the Painted Ladies, where we were taking photos, is a neat little park known as "Alamo Square". Alamo in Spanish means Poplar. In the 1800's the area was lined with poplar trees and was a resting spot for travelers. Below are views of the city I took from the park. It sits up on a hill and was the perfect place to snap photos.

Cliff House

2009-06-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting places we visited while in San Francisco was Cliff House. Originally built in 1863, it is considered to be the "Crown Jewel" of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The original 1863 Cliff House structure was destroyed by fire Christmas day 1894. It was rebuilt in 1894 to resemble a beautiful French Chateau. It survived the 1906 earthquake only to be destroyed by fire on Sept 7th, 1907. This raging fired destroyed Cliff House in less than 2 hours. The 3rd Cliff House reopened July 1st, 1909 and was Neoclassical in design. Cliff House was finally acquired by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in 1977. Today it is a restaurant and gift shop. The views are spectacular and well worth the drive out.

You can learn more history & see vintage photos at CliffHouse.com